


A pig's songbird

by NoodleDK



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blood, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Mute - Freeform, Romance, Slow Burn, Smut, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-03-11 07:08:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13519089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoodleDK/pseuds/NoodleDK
Summary: Roadhog and Junkrat have joined overwatch, when Lúcio one day brings his friend along. Roadhog usually don't bother with small and weak women, but this one turns out different than what he had expected. When she loses her voice, Roadhog finds himself drawn to this little broken songbird. Will he stick to his plans and ignore the woman or give in to feelings he thought lost long ago? And what dark and secret past is this little bird hiding?Tags will be added along the way.





	1. Hey little bird

**Author's Note:**

> The solo song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tRKo6ew0Bs

Roadhog’s ears bled. You would have thought that by now that he had grown accustomed to Junkrat’s never-ending blabbering, but today it was especially annoying. Rat had been going on about how bubble milk tea was the second best invention in the world, for almost 30 minutes now.

They had just sat down for lunch at the canteen, at the overwatch headquarters, together with their fairly new teammates and he could tell how the others had already grown sick of Junkrat’s endless chatter. He told him for the third time to shut up, but the Aussie just seemed to forget within 20 seconds and begin ranting again. In the end, Roadhog just hit him in the back of the head and the young man finally took the hint and began stuffing his mouth full of food instead of spewing words.

 

Finally. Peace. For now at least.

 

His life had been turned upside down since he and Junkrat had agreed to join overwatch. At first, they had told Winston and Jack to go to hell, but when offered a reasonable sum and the opportunity to get clean records, they had eventually agreed.

He didn’t understand why these goodie two shoes wanted to occupy themselves with criminals, but Winston said something about needing extra muscle and if there was something Roadhog had, it was brute strength. He looked around while eating, mask slightly tilted up to expose his mouth. He was not much of a talker, but he would always be listening and observing. It both made him intimidating and deadly. You could be as big and strong as you wanted, but if you wasn’t able to keep an overview and use that information to your advantage, then you wouldn’t survive for long. How had Junkrat ever survived without him as his bodyguard? Besides, if these overwatch members ever turned on them, then he would be prepared. Never trust anyone.

 

He overheard the tiny gamer girl, Hana sequel like a five year old while talking to an elderly woman. Ana they called her.

“O.M.G! I simply can’t wait for Lúcio to visit tomorrow! He told me over video chat yesterday that he was preparing to, finally join overwatch as soon as his tour is over. I can’t wait to beat his ass in the new rhythm game that I purchased recently.” Hana lifted her hands and held a nonexistent game controller while pretending to play with it. Then she lifted her tiny arms in the air, as if she won.

Nobody could tell how Roadhog rolled his eyes behind his mask.

“Ah yes. That DJ boy you told me about. Have he told you what group he wanted to join?” Ana smiled her warm grandma smile that reminded Roadhog of better times, before the omnium blew.

“Oh yes! You remember I told you that he stole some Vishkar technology? Well he used it to build a sonic amplifier that he can heal people with! He’s going to join you guys in the support group!” Hana beamed. Clearly proud of her friend and his dedication.

“Really. Oh how lovely. It’s going to be great to have another support on the team. I’m sure that Angela would have been just as excited, had she been here right now. I sure hope that her trip to Germany to visit her old colleges is going smooth. Well I guess we have to wait until she gets home next week.”

 

Roadhog shifted his attention back to his own table. He already knew this. He was greeted with the sight of Junkrat trying to stuff an unknown number of strawberries in his mouth. Junkrat had grown a strange love for fruit. He couldn’t get enough of it. Well hog guessed that it wasn’t THAT strange considering that fresh fruit was a rarity in the outback. Junkrat began choking on the damn strawberries and ended up spitting them everywhere.

 

Including Roadhog’s lunch.

 

The back of Junkrat’s head was once again, met with the sting of Roadhog slapping him.

 

* * *

 

 

"Lúcio!" Hana squeaked and threw her arms around her friend. 

She and most of the overwatch team had gathered in the hangar where the DJ had just arrived. He had barely stepped out of the car, before Hana threw herself at him. 

"Hey girl! I've missed you" Lúcio picked Hana up by the waist and spun around himself. The girl giggling even after she had been put down. Roadhog only observed with mild interest. The main reason he was there was because Junkrat was. The young Aussie was for some reason fascinated with the young celebrity. Called him a 'fellow artistic genius' or something like that. 

Junkrat was currently sitting in an awkward position on his shoulders, resting his chin on Roadhog's head. 

 

"Oh? Who's this?" Hana asked as another figure stepped out of the car. Roadhog pecked up, trying to get a look at the new face. 

 

Lúcio turned to introduce his companion.

 

"This is," He started, but got interrupted by Hana’s squealing.

 

"AAAAAAAAAAH! Oh my, gosh! Oh my, gosh! Is that really who I think this is?" 

 

Roadhog finally got a look at the person. It was a girl. Or a young woman at least. She was a little taller than Hana and had more curves, than that stick of a gamer. She had long bronze hair with matching eyes and was wearing a red and black woodchopper shirt. She had several piercings in her left ear and oozed of the same confidence and positivity as the DJ. 

Roadhog didn't have a single idea who she was. 

 

"Is that Rickie? As in THE Rickie?? OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygooooooo" Hana stopped herself in a weird moment of self-awareness. She still sported a stupid goofy grin. 

That didn't help Roadhog the slightest in knowing who this stranger was. Get to the point, child. 

"Hello." Rickie greeted the gamer, which made her make another high-pitched sound, behind her hands, that desperately tried to keep herself from saying more stupid shit. It didn't work though.

"Oh my god," Hana blurted. "I just wanna say I’m a huge fan. I own every one of your albums and I even own a signed premium grande poster of your phoenix tour!"

Oh! So she's a musician or something, Hog thought.

Rickie blinked before smiling warmly at the gamer. 

"Oh waow. I'm honored. That is pretty amazing. Thank you." She thanked, before Lúcio stepped up next to her. 

"Rickie here is actually a pretty big fan of yours too, D.va." He admitted which made Rickie blush. 

"Luc! You promised not to tell." The small woman began rubbing her neck nervously. Stripped from all that confidence she had just a moment ago. 

"Oh. My. GOSH! Rickie.. THE Rickie, is a fan of me? I.. I think I’ll faint." Hana made a fake fainting motion while smiling. The youngsters all laughed at this, including Junkrat. 

Roadhog had actually forgot that the Aussie was sitting on him. As soon as he realized, he bent a little backwards which made Junkrat fall off and land on his ass. 

 

"OW! Oi! What the heck mate?" The junker protested from his spot on the floor, rubbing his sore behind. 

As soon as the three youngsters joined them, he was quickly back on his feet though. 

"Oh! A sheila!" He exclaimed, as if he first saw her now. He took her hand and smacked his lips loudly on it while bowing. 

 

"Enchanté, mademoiselle." He purred while looking up at her, still holding her hand.  Roadhog cringed. Urg, idiot. 

 

Even though she had been, greeted with the most over-the-top creepy polite way in the world, the young woman still smiled cheerful and greeted him nostalgic.

" 'Sup." 

Hog noticed that she was sporting an electric guitar on her back now. 

 

Jack and Winston stepped up to them. They both greeted the young woman before asking to have a word with Lúcio. They didn't step far away though and Hog could hear almost everything they said if he tuned the youngsters out. 

 

"Lúcio, it's great to have you back, but do I need to remind you about civilians in the headquarters?" Winston asked concerned. Lúcio's smile only faltered a little bit. 

 "Well, the thing is that I actually wanted her to join overwatch. I mean, I haven't got her to decide yet, but I am leaving for tour tomorrow and I thought that maybe she could sleep in my room and hang around for a bit until she decides." 

 

Winston and Jack shared a look. It was no secret, that overwatch needed both members and funding, which meant that they would gladly welcome anyone, who met certain requirements. This thought made Roadhog chuckle. He and rat did most certainly not meet these, but they had been headhunted anyway. Guess rules is just an excuse to use when it is convenient.

"Well.. what can she do?" Winston asked. Curious of what kind of abilities this woman could have.

Lúcio rubbed the back of his neck nervously. 

"Well.. That is kind of a secret, you know?" 

 

Winston and Jack blinked. Then sighed.

 

"Lúcio. As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm for helping us, you can't possibly expect me to hire a new member without even knowing what she does?"  Winston looked both concerned and a little disappointed at the DJ. Hog had to admit that it WAS somewhat laughable.

He noticed that the woman, Rickie had stepped up to him. He looked silently down at her smiling face. Usually people were intimidated alone by his size, but she didn’t seem bothered by either that or his silence. She just stood there and smiled up at him.

“Hi.” She said and lifted her hand in greeting.

 

Silence.

 

“Hi.” He rumbled back after a while.

"No no, hear me out,” He heard Lúcio argue. “I'm sure that if she decides to join, that she will tell you, but she is kinda embarrassed about it and try to keep it low, with her being famous and all." Lúcio’s attempt to solve the situation left a lot to be desired. 

 

Winston sighed again. 

 

"Join or not I cannot possibly let a civilian stay here because of a 'maybe' and besides.."

Before Winston could finish, Lúcio got out his phone and stone-faced swiped his finger across the screen and almost immediately, Winston’s phones beeped. 

Curious to what the DJ had done, he picked up his own phone and looked at it. Had hog been able to see Winston’s screen, would he have seen, that a certain frog-boy had left a considerable amount as an anonymous donation to overwatch. You could practically see the dollar signs in the gorilla’s eyes. He looked up and threw his arms out in a welcoming gesture. 

 

"Welcome to overwatch, miss!" 

 

* * *

 

 

So now, there was three celebrities sitting at one table, eating dinner. According to Roadhog, they were all copies of each other. Small, loud, fragile and weak. Depending on gadgets to keep them alive and leeching on others who like them, for support and safety. It's easy to stay positive like them, when you have literally hundreds of people, willing to back you up.

 Hana usually sat at their table because she and Junkrat had similar taste in humor. They would crack jokes and do silly stuff while laughing maniacally. She was friendly enough to himself and wouldn't get offended when he wouldn't answer back to some of her questions. She just smiled and carried on with the conversation, accepting his silence. He was a man of few words and hated when people would try to force him to be verbal. She was ok he guessed. 

But today she sat with her celeb friends. Understandable that she would pick people she had more in common with over them. They were junkers. They were used to it. 

"So Lúcio said you're going to join overwatch?" Hana wiggled her eyebrows seductively. 

"I'm not going to join overwatch," Rickie refused. "At least I don't think so. I don't know yet. I mean.. I'd like to help, but I don't think that it would be such a good idea." The musician stopped herself from blabbering by taking a sip of her drink. "I just finished a co-op album with Lúcio, which is why he brought me. He's been going on and on about using my talents for good and I kind of just agreed to make him shut up." She admitted.

"Hey!" Lúcio butted in, clearly offended. 

"Sorry hon, but you left me little choice. I deserve to knock your ego down a little." She joked back. 

"But seriously, Rick' I believe you would be such an immense help for the team. You can still sing even though you fight crime. Just look at me! I'm almost moved in already and I still spin tracks like no tomorrow. There is space for both worlds in our lives." He reassured her. 

 

Hog rolled his eyes. It was so stupid to him, how far some boys would go, to have a sheila around that they like. Young people and their hormones. He noticed that he had been lost in thoughts for some time and forgot to listen. It was only when the DJ stood up to make an announcement, that he realized he had spaced out. 

 

"Hey everyone! Rickie and I is holding a sort of mini concert in the common room in a couple of hours for anyone interested." This made the room burst into cheers as most people were looking forward to it. Roadhog also did enjoy music so it wasn't so bad, but young people tended to have a weird taste of music so this could go both ways. 

Hopefully there would be beer. 

 

* * *

 

 

A couple of hours later he was solid placed in an oversized sofa next to Reinhardt, since they were the biggest members. Junkrat sat on the backrest in-between them and rooted for the musicians to start already. Hog was content since Reinhardt had filled him an oversized mug of beer before sitting down. It looked normal in his massive hands and he was grateful that there was another huge person in the building, so a lot of stuff would be his size, like chairs and cutlery. He took a sip and enjoyed the bitterness trickling down his throat. This was so much better than any of the stuff, that you could get at the outback. 

 

"Alright I think we have all set up now. Are you ready?" Lúcio asked. Rickie nodded and the DJ began flicking switches and mashing buttons on an advanced looking machine. Music filled the room and cheers rang out from the team. Soon the singer followed suit on her guitar before lifting her face up to the mic. 

 

It actually sounded good. There was a lot of punk and hip-hop but there would also be mixes and general popular pop songs. Hog relaxed a little extra and slid further into the sofa before taking another sip of his ice-cold beer. Oh yeah. He was actually having a good time. He could relax a little. Rat was right beside him and would most, likely not be assassinated in the near future. 

If he just played along with this whole hero thing, he would probably be able to settle down in a few years. With the paycheck from both overwatch and Junkrat, altogether with the 50% of the spoils from Junkrat’s treasure he would, be settled to live comfortably for the remains of his life. It had once seemed like a silly dream, but now he could see a future of him living on a small farm in peace from anyone else. He would have at least three pigs that he would spoil 'til the end of time. Their names would be ‘Hamilton’, ‘Waffle’ and ‘Princess monster-truck’. Just him and his pigs, alone in peace and quiet. 

 

* * *

 

 

By his sixth beer, he felt nice and buzzy. The songs had grown chiller and it suited him well.

After the last song ended, the music changed to a more slow jazz. The only instrument that could be heard was a piano. It was a bit out of place compared to what the DJ normally played. There was almost always drums and bass, even in the slower songs.

The female singer stepped up to the mic and started to sing a solo. It was… beautiful. Almost angel like. Her voice practically melted around each word like butter on warm pancakes. Her bronze colored eyes were fluttered half shut and her pillowy lips moved slow and sensual. Her hips swayed slowly from side to side in her tight black pants and hog caught himself starring in awe, much like everyone else.

 

Okay. He'd admit it to himself. She was hot.

 

Plus she had a nice bust going on. Always a plus.

While she sang her eyes landed on each and every person in the room. One at a time she cast that seducing yet fierce look at his team members. No wonder she was popular. She was both talented and pretty. When her eyes fell on him, it felt like a bolt of lightning shot through him. He suppressed a shiver. Damn she was good. That little minx. How many men had she caught with that look? Or women for that matter.

He was ripped from his thoughts by Junkrat who clutched his chest in an overly dramatic fashion.

Reinhardt began coughing nervously at his turn and began stroking his beard to hide his embarrassment.

The song ended and the room was filled with a thick silence for a few moments before erupting in loud cheers. Junkrat was by far the loudest. He almost fell backwards off the couch, but quickly grabbed hold of Hog. Rickie went over and gave Lúcio a hug before they both bowed for the audience.

 

The concert had ended and he was actually pretty tired now that he thought about it. The musicians bowed one last time before beginning to pack up. Junkrat booed and demanded extra number but were in all good spirits anyway. When the other team members stood to turn in for the night, the young junker jumped down from the couch and made his way to his room. Roadhog waited until everyone besides the musicians had left, before rising from his spot. 

The DJ and singer were smiling and talking to each other when Hog went over and stood in front of them, looking ominously down at the woman. She looked back up at him, seemingly unaffected by the way he loomed over her. She simply smiled cheerful and waited. Lúcio on the other had looked to be sweating nervously. Unsure of what to do in this situation. Hog had technically not done anything, but Lúcio still seemed weary of him. After a minute of silence, hog spoke up.

 

"Nice concert." He rumbled and turned to leave.

 

In the corner of his eye he caught the woman smiling at him.

"Thank you" He heard over his shoulder, before he stepped out of the room. 


	2. Are you hurt?

Roadhog was grateful for having his own room. When they escaped the outback he learned the hard way that Junkrat liked to stay up late, talking, laughing, tinkering and.. other stuff. There was not much privacy in their relationship. And that is without mentioning the sounds he makes when he is actually SLEEPING! 

Now, he had his own room, own bed, own bathroom. It's almost like before the omnium blew. His growling stomach pulled him from his stream of thoughts and he slowly got ready for the day. He heard Junkrat’s alarm clock begin to ring in the neighboring room, followed by the usual sound of said clock slamming against the wall. This didn't turn off the clock, but Junkrat never learned. He would have to either stand up and go get it, or sleep through the noise. There was usually a 50/50 chance for either possibility. 

 

Breakfast was as usual. Made by machines (luckily not omnics) and in large quantities. Hog filled his plate with six fried eggs, turkey bacon and sausages, a muffin, 2 slices of watermelon and black tea. 

He was usually one of the first arriving at breakfast. Contrast to the other Aussie, he was an early bird. Reinhardt, Zarya, Lena and Jack usually followed, after their morning workout. 

 

He heard the sound of his boss's laughter and looked up to see the Aussie walk into the canteen with the other youngsters in tow. Today they all sat down at Roadhog’s table. Junkrat had filled a bowl with different types of cut fruit and had 2 pieces of (real) bacon stuffed in his mouth with a cup of coffee that had six sugar cubes in it. Plus a banana. On Hog's other side, sat the young singer. 

" 'morning." She greeted politely and sunk her teeth into a piece of toast. 

 

"Hi." He greeted back, peeling the paper off the muffin and stuffing the whole thing into his mouth. 

 

"By the way, Rickie. The tour-bus is coming to get me at 10. It has all of your stuff with it, including your bike." Lúcio pointed out before eating a spoonful chocolate flavored cereal.

"Oh great!" The woman remarked, mouth full. 

 Disgusting, Hog thought. He turned his head to find Junkrat in the middle of deep-throating the banana. Of course he choked, when he realized the bodyguard was watching him.

 

How pitiful. Death by banana. 

 

He decided to turn his attention back to the musicians. If his boss didn't survive breakfast, then he guessed that was just natural selection. They youngsters were busy laughing at Rat dying anyway.

 

Sadly, the junker survived the banana attack. 

 

* * *

 

 

Later, they were all standing in the hangar once again where a bus just rolled by. A couple of bags, were carried from the trailer and handed to Rickie, together with a sweet white motorbike. She rolled it over next to his own. It looked so new and fancy. His trusty bike looked like a scrap heap in comparison.

Lúcio received lots of hugs, high fives and back pats before getting on board the bus. After waving him off, the team went on with the daily routine. They had training/work until lunch so Roadhog went to the training grounds while the more tech-based heroes like Junkrat went to the workshop to design and fix gadgets that could help in upcoming missions.

Roadhog really liked training. He got to shoot as many dummy bots as he wanted. Junkrat got the short end of the stick. He couldn’t throw around all of his beloved bombs as he pleased. On the positive side, he liked tinkering and coming up with new ideas and could get absorbed for hours with those tasks so it wasn’t like he disliked his job.

 

“Can I help with anything?” Rickie asked the gorilla, which made him adjust his glasses in thought.

“Well maybe we can figure something out that you can help me out with down in the lab.” Roadhog didn’t hear more after that as the two of them descended the stairs.

“See ya at lunch!” Junkrat said as he passed the big junker.

Roadhog grunted as answer and exited the building.

 

Damn. His usual shooting range was still under construction. He had destroyed it himself by testing out his whole hog and had sprayed the whole thing with scrap by deadly force. He had hoped that it would, have been fixed by now. Urg. Now he had to share range with Jack. It was awkward to work beside the stone-faced man. Their styles of fighting were so similar yet so different and he would be, corrected constantly about accuracy by the soldier.

It was even more uncomfortable, when there was silence. Just standing there. Doing your thing, while tolerating the others presence. Like taking a leak when somebody was using the urinal right next to yours. To his luck, they had wasted a lot of time by saying goodbye to the DJ. While firing round after round, regularly using his hook to drag the poor bots to their fate, he would look around at the other members. Ana was in the middle of training sniping moving targets, Reinhardt and Zarya switched between smashing robots, lifting dumbbells and other heavy stuff. Occasionally they would be flexing in the reflection of a nearby window. Lena ran rounds while shooting anything ‘threatening’ on the way. Many bots and targets met a grim fate. McCree and Hana was holding some sort of competition about who could get most bullseyes in shortest time.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It had been a good couple of hours and lunch break was right around the corner, when Winstons panicked voice sounded over the intercom.

“Ana to medbay! I repeat: Ana to the medbay, immediately!!”

 

Jack had already crossed the training field before the repeat. Ana ran as fast as she could with some of the others jogging behind. Roadhog decided to follow to find out, what all this fuss was about. He didn't run though. He was curious, but didn't really care enough to be panicked. 

 

What in the outback, could have happened? Winston sounded frantic and since Ana had been called to the medbay it was safe to say that someone had gotten hurt. 

 

Arriving at the medic wing Roadhog spotted Junkrat together with almost every single overwatch member, waiting outside. They probably didn't have the right to enter while shit was going down. Junkrat heard his heavy steps and turned to the large junker. 

 

"Oi!" Rat greeted. "The old gnaks are all inside with that singer sheila. Apparently she got really beat up somehow while being downstairs with the monkey." He turned and looked through the glass doors that led to the rest of the wing. Junkrat shuddered. 

"Real nasty scream, mate. Heard it from all the way up 'ere in the workshop." 

 

So it was the new girl who got hurt. How could she possible get hurt already? It wasn't even on a mission or in the training field. Well, guess that sort of things just happens with small and fragile people. They get hurt from nothing. Roadhog just grunted an answer. He turned and left the medic wing. Ignoring the death glares he got from concerned team members. This had nothing to do with him. Why should he care about someone that wasn't a colleague, yet didn't even know. These people would drag themselves down in the end, if they cared for strangers right and left. Besides, there was nothing he could do! Ana was the only doctor-like person in the building since Angela was away. Why should he stay and pretend to be worried over one woman, no CHILD he just met? 

 

He went into the cantina and served himself some lunch. Just because the others would rather stay in the med wing and miss out, didn't mean that he had to do the same. They were all overreacting. Sure it would be sad for her to die or lose a limb or whatever, but until they got news about her status, there was nothing to do. Sitting and sulking would do nothing good. 

 

 

Roadhog was almost done with his second serving, when people finally trickled in.  After sending him another wave of glares they served themselves some food and ate in silence. 

 

Rat was a little somber, but all in all the same as usual. He had shoveled a buttload of cut pineapple and watermelon in a bowl and Hog spotted a few slices of mango in the mix. On the side he had a cup of black coffee and Hog rolled his eyes at the fact that Rat had forgotten to get himself some protein. 

He quickly slapped Rat in the back of the head between bites. When the smaller junker lifted his head to complain, Hog forcefully stuffed a turkey sausage down his throat. 

After choking on the sausage for a few seconds, he eventually got around to chew it before swallowing. 

 

"Thanks mate." Junkrat smiled up at the larger junker, as if he hadn't just tried to kill him by forceful-sausage-deep-throat. 

 

Sharing food wasn't really a concept in the Australian outback. If you had fresh food, you guarded it with your life. Clean water was worth more that gold and people got killed for it. It had been so weird when Junkrat and him had left Junker town and entered the big city for the first time since the omnium blew. 

There was food literally everywhere. The smell had Junkrat almost losing his mind. Hog had to hold him back from just grabbing whatever he wanted at sight. They had to lay low. It was painfully obvious that they were junkers. If the  authorities got news about junkers roaming around, they would be chased back to Junkertown quicker than they could say dipstick. 

And the water. The WATER! 

It was literally flowing in the streets! It didn’t take them long after dark to find this amazing fountain just shooting clean water everywhere! It trickled down stones and shot out of stone turtle mouths. Statues were highlighted, by sprays of water, which were illuminated with light. It was beautiful. Truly beautiful. And they WASTED IT! There were literally people dying of thirst out in the dessert right by this city! They had all the recourses in the world to help, but choose to ignore them and force them to live in the radiated trash! Sure, they had choose themselves to stay. It was their HOME! But no help whatsoever both before and after the omnium incident. They had been let down time and time again. The cities refused to work and trade with the junkers so out of desperation, the raids began. Teams were set up to rob the cities when recourses were scare. It was dangerous and brutal. Some lived for the thrill and it became a barbaric form of living. There was nowhere in hell that Roadhog would join the raiders. Sure he was known for begin brutal, but that is just the way you have to be to survive.

The people of the outback had been, cheated, lied to and thrown away without a care. When they turned out the way they were now, they had been deemed a lost cause. Not worth of saving. They were called savages, by bloody suits who only saw people as a way of profit. Hog could growl at the thought.

 

It was only when Junkrat slipped a slice of watermelon on his plate, that Roadhog realized he had been lost in thoughts. He carefully cut the peel from the fruit and propped it in his mouth. Juicy. Before they escaped the outback, ha had almost forgot how great food could taste.

 

* * *

 

 

After lunch was it time to work. Not training or tinkering in the workshop. This was more like chores. Anything that needed to be, done around the compound, like repairs, stocking or paperwork. Winston would most likely be in his offices, doing everything that was, needed for managing the overwatch. People who were good with machines would be in the hangar, repairing and making checkups on vehicles and equipment. The rest has to move stuff, repairs of the compound and restocking. Machines mostly did cleaning so there were very little to do there by hand. 

 

Junkrat went to the hangar with Thorbjörn and while Roadhog were good with vehicles there were more than enough manpower in those two to cover the whole hangar for daily duty. They needed hands to move cargo and with Roadhog’s strength, it would often be over in a moment. 

 

Ana went to check on the hurt woman and Hog went to work. Moving boxes after boxes from the hangar into kitchen where Lena and Hana opened them up and began stacking the contents into cupboards and drawers. When Hog returned with the last box, he found Rat sitting on a counter talking with the girls. When he spotted Hog he gave a small wave.

"All done?" He asked.

"Yeah." He rumbled back, following the smaller junker out of the room.

When they were done with their share of the chores, they were free for the rest of the day to do whatever they pleased. He was a bit surprised, when Jamison led them to the medical wing.

Whatever. It would be better than Junkrat getting them into trouble with the monkey, for destroying the property.

 

The med wing was a weird place. It was overly clean to the point of hysteria and smelled weird. Junkrat hated this place when it was him who were a patient. Always trying his best to escape and cause havoc on his way out. Mercy had her methods though and Jamison always regretted his escape attempts. Hog shivered. That woman was scary. She looked like an angel but could make even the most tough guys wet their pants.

When they entered the room where they kept the woman, they immediatly spotted Ana. Or more like she spotted THEM.

"You can't be here!" She said sternly. "You have to leave, until she is awake and strong enough to have visitors." She quickly tried to push them out the door.

"Aw, come on nanna! We just wanna know if the sheila is okay or not." Junkrat whined.

Ana sighed heavily.

"She is going to live, at least. But the damage caused may or may not be permanent, depending on what Angela can do about the problem when she gets back. Right now we just have to wait."

Deeming that was enough for an answer, Ana pushed them both out the room and ordered them to scram.

 

Jamison sulked a little about not getting to see the woman, but soon forgot about it, when they stumbled upon Hana in the common room. She was on the phone, looking worried.

"No, you don't have to cancel your tour! I just wanted to know if you knew the number."

There was silence, while the person on the other end of the call talked.

"Well, she must have SOMEONE. A parent or a sibling? No, Lúcio DON'T. There is nothing you can do about it. It will only hurt your career if you leave now. We'll handle it, you just focus on your work."

Silence.

"Her manager? That's all? No other connections?"

Silence.

"Okay, thank you. No, I'll do it. Just finish your tour and.. yeah.. I promise... I will... Yes. I'll call you when she wakes up. Goodbye." Hana hung up and sighed heavily, looking at the two junkers in the room.

 

"Hey, guys." She greeted tiredly.

"What's goin' on?" Jamison asked.

"I called Lúcio to ask for the phone number to Rickie's parents, but he didn't know of any family member at all. He only had the number to her manager, so I'm going to try to find her family through him." She threw herself on the couch.

"I just want someone to be there for her when she wakes up. Lúcio is her closest friend and he's in another country by now. If I can't get her family then I don't know what to do." Another sigh escaped her.

"I mean, I could be there, but I think she needs someone more than just a fan, you know?" Hana rolled onto her stomach and took a bag of chips from the coffee table and began eating.

"Is it that bad, that she needs 'er family?" Jamison scratched his chin and reached over to grab a couple of chips.

"What do you mean? In all cases, we should call her parents. She's hospitalized in another country while amongst strangers."

"Yeah but, isn't that a little extreme?" Junkrat looked to Roadhog for either backup or clarification.

 

Hog just shrugged. Different people, different rules.

 

"No. Not at all. When do you think you should call the parents?" Hana threw the now empty bag into a nearby trash bin, throwing her arms in the air when it dunked.

"Dunno. Don't have parents so I wouldn't know. We don't really have phones either so it's more like if your friends and family don't show their faces for some time, ya gotta assume they're dead."

Hana made a disturbed face before standing up and dialing a number. Probably that manager guy.

 

She left the room for some privacy, which left Hog and rat alone. Which was fine with Roadhog, since there was a tv-show that he wanted to watch. He sat down and zapped until he found the right channel and began waiting. Jamison sat down next to him and used his lap as a footstool. Hog growled at him, but made no further move to remove the other junker.

 

Winston walked in just as the show's title song started.

"Oh good! You're already watching it! I was about to ask if I could watch that exact show!" The gorilla smiled delighted as he made his way over.

"Urg! THAT is what we're watching??" Junkrat exclaimed disappointed, almost offended and stood up to walk out.

"Nope! Not going through THAT again!" The young junker strutted out of the room, probably heading off to bother some other poor soul or to tinker in the workshop.

Hog counted his luck. Peace! Winston took the seat beside him.

 

* * *

 

 

As the show neared the end, hog found himself sliding further and further into the couch. With his hands resting on his stomach and his slow breathing, he understood that Winston believed him to be asleep, when Ana walked in and wanted to discuss matters about their patient.

"But, Roadhog is here." He muttered, as if unsure if the giant really was asleep.

"Isn't he sleeping?" Ana asked.

"Mr. Rutledge?" Winston asked, voice barely above a whisper. He even waved his hand in front of the junker. Idiots. This was too easy.

 

Hog didn't move. Focusing on keeping his breathing even.

 

Convinced that the large junker was indeed asleep, he turned to Ana.

"It's not looking good. The poor child have sustained critical damage to the throat area. She will live, but I am unsure if she will ever get the ability to speak again." Ana sighed, a look of pure defeat and shame spread across her face.

"Hey." Winston reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "You did everything you could."

She smiled a sad smile.

"Yeah, but that won't matter for the girl. She's a singer!" She looked at the TV screen. Not focusing on whatever was playing.

 

And now.. her voice is gone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor little bird. 
> 
> Please tell me what you think of the story so far in the comments. I would love to hear it!


	3. Don't be sad

Today, Roadhog woke by the sound of Junkrat's alarm clock. Unusual. By this time he should already be up and half-dressed. Rubbing his eyes, he stood and went for the bathroom. After a quick shower he rummaged through his wardrobe.  
He was forever grateful for different ways that he was being accommodated, since he and Jamison moved in. One of the biggest pleasures, beside the food, was fitting pants! Now, he didn't have to pull on whatever stuff that somehow fitted. His old "pants" had found the trashcan super fast. He was so goddamn tired of pulling them up again and again just for his ass to still stick out.  
Smiling, he choose some black slacks, a blue sleeveless shirt and a vest he couldn't decide whenever it should be called black or grey. Whatever.

He went to his dresser which had a build-in mirror on top. He gave himself a quick look before snatching his trusty mask, which hung from said mirror and strapped it in place.  
Ready to start the day, he unlocked his door and headed out and was immediately greeted by Jamison, who decided to start the day by running into him.  
" 'morning Roadie!" The smaller greeted from the floor. "Look what I made!"  
He held up a small device that looked like a small frag, but looking closely and you could see it was covered in... glitter?  
Hog gave his friend a look, which made Rat go on.  
"It's called a bath bomb! Mei talked about how I could make bathing enjoyable with them! So I made one!" He smiled bright like a child who were showing off his macaroni collage. Hog sighed and took the small device, which would surely get Jamison in trouble, with the gorilla.  
"Oi! What do ya think you're doin'?" Hog held the bathtub-destroying abomination out of his friends reach.  
"Get a real one from Mei" He ordered, before stuffing the device in his pocket and trudged towards the canteen. Complaining junker in tow.

* * *

 

Despite the tension, everything went back to normal. People falling into the routine and doing their job. Days went by and soon he had forgotten all about that woman. Until Morrison had to show up and ruin his good mood by existing. He approached Roadhog while he was reading a book in the tv room.  
"Mr. Rutledge. A word, if I may."  
You may not. Still, Roadhog turned his head to the man.  
"You may know how your.. companion, Mr. Fawkes has had some 'episodes' with some of our facilities. Could you have talk with him about not destroying overwatch property?"  
Ugh. Here we go again. Somehow Junkrat's business is somehow HIS business since Junkrat would throw a fit when people told him what to do, while Roadhog would be more calm. Roadhog was just smart. Don't bite the hand that feeds you and all that crap.  
"I don't care what he does." Turing back to his book.  
This seemed to throw off Morrison a bit.  
"But I though.."  
"You thought wrong"

He was not Junkrat’s babysitter or the voice of reason as many from overwatch had come to believe. He simply understood that their destructive behavior would bring them nothing but trouble and therefore they had to adapt to their new environment.  
He liked being the bringer of mayhem. Sure, rat have been a pain in the ass for most of it, but when push comes to shove, he liked the guy and the adventures they had been on. There had been so many cool places filled with exciting experiences, loot and food. Especially Japan. They had to visit there again sometime.

Morrison just stood there for a moment before quietly leaving. Perhaps to go and talk to Junkrat in person or maybe something else. Roadhog doesn't care.  
Then he heard the high pitched voice of his boss.  
"Hey mate!"  
"Ah. Mr. Fawkes! I was just looking for you. You see.."  
Roadhog quickly tuned them out. He had stuff to do. Books to read. People to ignore. All that kinds of stuff. After some bickering they came to some kind of compromise and they sat down with Roadhog to watch, what Morrison would call, 'an old classic'.  
Spoiler. It was boring.

It only became worse when Ana showed up.  
"Morrison, Angela has returned." The two of them left the room to head for the med bay. Which left Roadhog with Jamison and that awful movie.  
"Hey Roadie. Lets spy on them." Jamison said with that maniacal grin on his face.  
Well.. it was certainly better than standing here watching Morrison's awful 'classic'.

* * *

 

Junkrat could be incredible quiet when he wanted to. They both snuck down the hallway where they could already hear the swiss little doctor speaking.

"From what I can tell you have already done everything that could be done with what you've had. There is nothing more I can do. You did fine Ana stop beating yourself up over it."

That hurt girl was a weak little woman. How many times had he been accidently hit by Junkrat's bombs and he was still kicking. The outback was filled with women who could pack a punch. This sheila was weak and played with fire so this was her price to pay. Roadhog felt that it was just nature's way of weeding out the weak.

"Let's wake her up." Roadhog saw how Dr. Zeigler went over to grab a needle.

"We know you are there boys." Ana said nostalgic over her shoulder. Neither of the others seemed surprised.  
That what should be excepted from old veterans. Always be aware of your surroundings. They were probably always on edge waiting for a surprise attack.  
Roadhog and Junkrat went inside like they owned the place since there was no need for hiding anymore. Mercy filled the needle and inserted into a small tube in the girls arm.  
"I don't assume that I can convince you guys to leave? If you are going to stay then you have to be quiet and give the poor girl some space. That goes especially for you Mr. Fawkes."  
Junkrat just shrugged which made the poor doctor shake her head. Her beautiful locks of hair gracing her angel like face.

It only took a few moments before the girls eyelids fluttered open. She immediately hissed from the pain and aching. Her hand went to her bandaged throat and her brows frowned. She seemed like she first realized now how many people were starring at her. Dr. Ziegler shone a small flashlight in her eye to check if her pupils worked correctly.  
"Miss Robinson? Are you feeling alright? Does it hurt too much anywhere? Please point if it does."  
Rickie shook her head and rubbed her eye. She tried to clear her throat and by the looks of it, she regretted it. The doctor continued to check over her reading on a screen.  
"Do you remember what happened?"  
Another shake.  
"Do you remember up until helping Dr. Winston in the lab?"  
Nod.  
The doctor handed her a cup of water which were quickly consumed with creed.  
"You had an accident in the lab. You have been out for several days.. and.."  
They all kind of looked awkward at each other. Again Dr. Ziegler took initiative.  
"I need to inform you have you have taken serious damage to your throat and vocal cords."  
Rickie either looked confused or was waiting for her to elaborate. It took several moments before Junkrat spoke up without any shame.  
"Your throat's fucked mate! Ye can't speak no more."  
"Jamison!" Mercy looked like she could punch Junkrat in the throat any minute. When Roadhog looked back at Rickie she looked... heartbroken. Her mouth formed moved which Roadhog deciphered as 'what?'. After Mercy had shaken her head she waved her hand to signal that the junkers should give her some room.  
"Yes, Miss Robinson. There simply was too much damage. There was nothing that could have been done."  
Rickie's mouth kept opening and closing as if she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Not that it would matter.

"Now, I think that is enough. Everybody please leave. She needs time to rest and process it all." Dr. Ziegler did her best to usher them all out of the room. Roadhog looked over his shoulder as he left and saw how frustration took over Rickie. Her mouth was clenched. Eyes brimming with tears about to overflow. She just laid down in defeat with her back to the door.

* * *

 

Hana sighted. Elbows resting on the table while she held her head. She had barely touched her lunch and it was obvious that she wanted attention. Roadhog didn't bite. Hana sighted louder. Roadhog kept ignoring her. Better to let them learn from the start.  
Junkrat swallowed a grape without chewing before finally relieving them all of this torture.  
"What's cracking ya sheila?"  
"Oh.. It's just that I'm worried about Rickie. She has just lost her entire career! I would kill myself if I wouldn't be able to game anymore! I simply can't imagine a life without it!" She finally stuffed her face with a chicken leg. Man, it was hard to starve yourself for attention.  
"The same here with my explosives! I mean I lost an arm and a leg along the way, but that didn't stop me." Junkrat flexed his prosthetic arm.  
"Why don't you get a modern one like Mccree?"  
"Ya kiddin' roight? I made this myself! You can brag all ya want but this is top class Junkrat product! As sturdy as it gets! I bet I could break that twig of an arm if I were to fart in that cowboys general direction."  
Hana snorted so hard that she choked on her soda.  
"No, but seriously! What about you Roadhog? Aren't you worried?"  
Don't answer. "I don't care." Dammit! Now she would argue for an eternity!  
"What? But Roadhog she must be so lost and sad right now! You can't possibly tell me that you feel nothing! Don't give me that cold attitude! I know there is a softie behind that tough guy front of yours! Nobody who likes pachimari is completely coldhearted."

Urg! He knew he should never have let her see that damn plushie! But she could argue all she wanted. Roadhog had lost his humanity a long time ago. As the omnium blew and he watched his home become a wasteland, the person he used to be died and from the ashes rose Roadhog, the one man apocalypse.  
He decided that ignoring the girl would be the fastest way of making her shut up.  
"Anyway, why don't we visit her and bring some food? I have something I wanted to give her anyway. I went to the town yesterday and brought it. Oh, do you think we should bring flowers too?"  
Junkrat shook his head. "Nah! Just bring the gift. Besides, me being there is a gift in itself."  
Roadhog rolled his eyes behind his mask as they made their way for the med bay. Hana holding a tray of mashed potatoes and vegetables. Apparently sick people could only eat soft foods. He shortly wondered how anyone with a hurt throat could eat but then he remembered the wonders of mercy's treatments. On the battlefield she could heal up open wounds like nothing. But that stick were apparently only for battle and emergencies. She could do amazing thing thou.

"Hi Rickie. We brought some food."  
Rickie didn't seem to even notice them. The back of the bed had been lifted so she could sit comfortable. She was just sitting there, looking at something in the horizon. She didn't even take the tray Hana was holding out to her.  
"You know what? How about I just place it here." Hana said as she put the tray on a table beside the bed.  
"BUT! I also brought something else for youuuu." Hana plopped down her gift on Rickie's lap. Rickie only looked with minimum interest.

 

It was a white board. There was a red marker sticking on the side.

She just looked at it for a moment.  
"I thought you might like to be able to communicate with people so I bought this small whiteboard for you. It's small enough for you to carry around. I even attached a strap with a carabiner so you can attach it to whatever you want! Like your pants or a bag." Hana was blabbering again. Roadhog cringed.

Rickie slowly picked up the small board and all Roadhog could describe her facial expression as was.. defeat. Utter defeat. Like someone who had lost everything in the world. Roadhog almost groaned. She just got a handicap! She was still alive and breathing. Back in the outback that was all that mattered. Whenever you lived to see another day. These people were so WEAK! A little bump on their life's highroad and suddenly they act as if the whole world is falling apart. This girl probably never had a struggle in her entire life! Singing was stupid anyway. She still had two working hands. Sometimes that was all that was needed. He really hated weak women.

Rickie put the board back down in her lap and leaned back in her bed. Starring out into the horizon once more. Hana was just about to leave when Winston entered the room.  
"Oh. You already have guests."  
Roadhog stepped aside so the gorilla could make his way over to the patient.  
"Let me start off with apologizing and telling you how deeply sorry I am that you've gotten hurt while in our care. I personally feel responsible since I was with you. I'm sorry. I wanted to talk to you about your treatment. Now, since you got hurt in our facility under our care you are of course are free of charge. Also you have some choices about further treatments. We have some of the best doctors and engineers and we can assure you that we will do anything in our power to better the damage. Now, there is unfortunately no saving your vocal cords, but we can make an excellent prosthetic for you. Our doctor Ziegler did a similar treatment for a Mr. Shimada."  
No answer. Not even a look.  
"Now, I know this must be very heavy for you. Think about it! You can just tell the doctor anytime you feel like it." The gorilla turned and made his way for the door while sulking. Poor Winston felt so bad. He was always taking things on his shoulders.

Usually Junkrat was poking fun at the gorilla, calling him monkey which he knew irritated the gorilla to death, but today he didn't seem to feel like it. Good. The less drama the better. How many times had Roadhog stepped in and literally carried Junkrat away from a situation he knew was gonna end up badly. He bet that if they ever came across a lion Junkrat would actually pick up a stick and poke at it. He only seem to have a sense of danger when it was literally starring him in the face.

"Well Rickie, is there anything else we can do for you?" The gamer girl asked. "I could go pick up your headphones so you could listen to some music or I could bring some games or maybe some books if you are into that kind of thing. Or how about board games since you are still in bed or.. Oh! what are you writing?"  
Rickie had picked up the whiteboard and wrote something with big letters. As she turned the board they could all read it.

'Fuck off!'

Well. That was straight forward. Nobody argued as they atmosphere in the room was thicker than Mccree's mystery casserole.

"Holey doley! That went bonkers. What are ya gonna you now, sheila?" Junkrat asked, holding his hands behind his head as he walked.  
"I don't know Jamie. She is just so sad! I just want to cheer her up but nothing I do seems to do the trick."  
Junkrat thought about it for a moment.  
"Well.. Maybe you are going about it the wrong way."  
Hana look sceptical.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean that all that shit just sounded straight up depressing! I hate being at the hospital or tied to a bed. When I get upset I want to make things explode!" Junkrat shot out his arms to each side to emphasize.  
"Yeah but you always wanna make things explode."  
"Precisely!"  
"You're weird." Hana said and lightly punched his arm.   
"Ha!"

Roadhog made a turn for the TV room. One small annoying youngster was enough to make him irritated. Two was torture. They could tire each other out. He had a date with a cooking show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our little bird has woken up! But things don't seem to be better :(  
> Please leave a comment telling me what you think!


	4. Maybe this will help

Every day Hana went to the med bay with food for Rickie and every time she came back looking straight up depressed. Sometimes Junkrat tagged along and tried to cheer Hana up, after her utter defeat in trying to make Rickie feel better. Today they weren't alone. Hana was literally dragging Rickie by the hand into the cafeteria.

"Come on! The doctor have already given you permission to leave your bed!"

Junkrat looked up from his yogurt, which were piled with so much fruit that it was more fruit salad than yogurt.

"Ouu! Two sheilas has entered the building! Time to turn up the ol' Junkrat charm!" He then proceeded to lick his fingertips and smooth out his bushy eyebrows. This didn't fix the hair but managed to smudge the dirt around some. Junkrat then put his elbow on the table and rested his head in his hand. With the other hand on his hip, he struck a pose that was supposed to be seductive.

 

It failed.

 

 

Hard.

 

Hana made Rickie sit and they both ignored the explosive expert as Rickie just glared at the table while Hana went to grab them some breakfast. After a couple of minutes of him just starring, Junkrat spoke up.

"Soo..? Do you believe in love at first sight - or should I walk by again?"

Roadhog almost lost his appetite at the horrible pick-up line. Sometimes he wondered if his salary was really worth, being around the bundle of cringe.

"You didn't walk by anyone, Jamie." Hana shot down, as she placed two trays of breakfast in front of Rickie and herself. There was also two mugs. One with a strange smelling tea and coffee with lots of milk and sugar for herself.

"But I could! Ah, but then.. I don't want all of ya'll to fall for me. It would take too long to pick ya back up! Ha!" He laughed as he began stuffing his mouth.

 

"Here, Rickie. I didn't know what you liked, so I brought you tea. It's camellia. Doctor Ziegler says that it is very good for...?"

Before Hana could finish her sentence, Rickie had nonchalantly stolen Hana's coffee and began drinking it. Not seeming to care that it was piping hot!

Rude. Hana just looked awkward. Not liking that someone just took her beverage, but not wanting to scold her grieving friend, just turned silently to her own breakfast. The tea getting the same cold shoulder as Junkrat's advancements. Die alone, tea.

 

 

The rest of the crew trickled in little by little until the room was filled with low chatter. Roadhog could hear the others talking about Rickie in hushed voices. Idiots. Rickie could definitely hear them. Way to go to make the useless girl feel even more useless. He sighted, as he brought a cup of coffee up to his lips. His mask itched the way it was drawn up over his lips and he had a hard time seeing, unless he bent his head. How dull had his life become to make him worry about random people. He silently begged for a mission, so he could get some action back in his life. His fingers itched for the trigger.

 

* * *

 

 

After breakfast, Hana tried inviting Rickie to her bedroom for some gaming, but the girl simply stood and wandered over to a nearby couch. Not wanting to leave her, Hana went to get that coffee she had been cheated out of and rejoined Hog and Rat.

It was then, that Junkrat stood and made a beeline for the girl. Roadhog smelled failure in the air.

 

"Soo..? Come here often?" He shot finger guns at her, who made a point of acting as if he was invisible.

Junkrat didn't look slightly bothered, but instead put his hands on his hips.

"What is your deal sheila? Sure ya lost a part of ya body, but what's the big deal about it? Most of us have too, but ya don't see us looking like dead kangaroos over it!"

"Jamie.." Hana warned, but Rat didn't stop even though Rickie was starring daggers at him.

"Your attitude sucks more that a gobby by a man named taserface! Sure, life sucks! Everything sucks! But that doen't mean that you need to dry hump the good atmosphere!"

"Jamison!" Winston warned sternly.

"Aw to heck with ya, mokey! You lost ya voice, so what? It's not the end of the world? Surely there is other things ya can do? Have you ever tried miming? I once saw it in..!"

 

Junkrat didn't have time to continue as Rickie launched herself at him. Upper cutting and jumping him so she was sitting on his stomach while punching his face from side to side like a tennis match. Roadhog would help him, buuut... this pastry in his hand was just begging him to stay. It wasn't that he thought that Junkrat deserved to be beaten up by a little girl. Not at all.

He would pick his partner up from the floor when he was done.

 

Probably.

 

 

The assault continued on as everyone just starred in awe. It was a pretty one-sided fight as Junkrat just lay there. Taking it. Surely he could overpower the woman. So why didn't he? Winston almost stood to stop her, when Rickie slowed down.

Out of breath she held up her fist again. Ready to strike. Her trembling fist threatened him, to say another word.

Junkrat spit some blood and smiled up at her. She almost hit him again, when he suddenly spoke.

 

"That felt pretty good, yea? Beating me up like that. When the world sucks you just want to beat it up. But ya can't hit that. So hitting an asshole is the next best you can do, right? Getting some of all that anger out, is sometimes what is needed."

 

Wait. Junkrat had meant for that to happen? He wanted her to hit him? To make her feel better? It was almost sweet. Rickie had frozen in spot. Fist in the air, starring at him.

 

"What do ya say you join me and Roadie today? We're going to this old abandoned part of town where we can destroy and blow up as many things as we want. Blow a little more steam off, yea? Would give my face a rest too, what do ya say?" He smiled. Sincerely.

 

Droplets of tears dripped onto his face. Roadhog realized that the girl was crying. Still frozen in place as tears flooded from her eyes. She sucked her trembling bottom lip into her mouth and silently nodded. Finally giving into her sadness as she held her face in her hands, Junkrat silently sat up and embraced her with one arm.

 

* * *

 

Hours later, Roadhog was driving his bike up a hill towards the nearby town. Junkrat was slummed in his sidecar while Rickie drove behind them on her own bike.

He didn't know they were going to the ' _big ol' boomie site_ ' as Rat called it, but he would admit that he was looking forward to destroy some shit. They had caused some havoc in the town the first couple of weeks they had stayed with overwatch, which had caused the scientist slash gorilla to direct them at the abandoned part of town instead. Either break things there, or no place at all. So _Big ol' boomie site,_ it was.

 

Roadhog found a fitting spot and parked his bike nearby. Rickie followed suit and junkrat pulled his fraglauncher out along with various explosives and an iron baseball bat. He handed the bat to Rickie.

"Come, let go fuck things up!" He laughed maniacally as he skipped towards an old construction building.

 

The roof was gone along with most equipment that supposedly was here in the past. All that was left was a few pieces of furniture, some old street signs and a few barrels. Most walls had crumbled and tried with all their might to keep standing despite missing half of their bricks.

 

Roadhog, knowing the drill, began dragging some things out in the open, making sure to space them out. He also knocked some street signs into the floor for good measure.

Junkrat stepped aside for Rickie and directed her at the display.

"Ladies first."

 

Rickie went for an old radio and smashed it to pieces in one swift blow.

With the seal broken the junkers joined her in thrashing the place. Junkrat blew thing up and Roadhog shot things to pieces with his gun. The pieces added to his ammunition bin. He even tore some walls down by punching them! This felt great! Destroying stuff with your pals! Just let the world be ripped apart by your hands! Junkrat laughed maniacally and Roadhog grunted satisfied and even laughed along sometimes. Rickie was getting worked up too. She looked more angry than happy though. All the same, they thought. She was angry and she needed to get it out. After a couple of minutes she looked down right furious! All her sadness and anger culminated in her destruction.  

 

"Smash the sign next!" Junkrat urged and pointed at one of the last standing street signs.

 

Instead of seeing the sign getting a good beating, Roadhog saw the sign do a flip in the air, before landing smoldering on the ground. A hole melted in the middle, where a picture of a guy crossing the street was, just a minute ago.

Roadhog had to check his memory so make sure that Rickie indeed, had a friking ball of magma collect in her palm before she had flung it at the poor sign. Rest in peace, crossing man.

 

" Hooley dooley... That... was.. AMAZING! Do that again!!!" Junkrat yelled and began to jump up and down.

 

Again, the girl held up her palm and out of it began melted rock to pool, before she threw it at a barrel this time. The barrel apparently had some chemicals still in it because it combusted as the clump of lava hit it. Junkrat laughed excitedly while Rickie just stood rooted in place, starring into the flames with a cold expression. Had it been anyone else than Roadhog that would have looked at her, they would have shivers running down their spines. He recognized those eyes.

 

The eyes of a coldblooded killer.

 

* * *

 

 

When they left, Rickie actually looked better. A slight smile on her lips, before she put on her helmet, covering her face. On the ride back Roadhog began analyzing the situation. Something he did with anyone dangerous who he and Junkrat was going to be around. He hadn't bothered before, but now that he had seen what she was capable of...

 

She was a friend of an overwatch member. She respected Winston as well as the rest of the team. But maybe losing her voice made her unstable? Currently she was a higher risk than any other person on the base. He didn't believe she would be of any threat but... those eyes. So void of emotion. She definitely had blood on her hands and she didn't show any remorse. She could be a loose cannon? Maybe if pushed enough. Conclusion: Don't let her be alone with Junkrat.

Having sorted things out in his head he drove into the hangar of the base. Junkrat congratulating Rickie on a successful thrashing, before inviting her to watch TV with him. Roadhog followed. He had a feeling that he was going to follow those two around for quite some time.

 

* * *

 

 

Junkrat hadn't spared a second before he had told basically everyone in the base about Rickie's weird lava powers. Winston looking interested and Hana shocked while McCree looked slightly disturbed.

"How does that even work, doll?" The cowboy had asked.

Rickie had just shrugged, which had made Winston looking concerned.

"Surely there has to be a logic explanation to it." He had said.

The scientist had requested that she joined him in the lab for testing, but a nervous look at the door from Rickie, made Winston apologizing profusely.

"Sorry, I should have taken your thoughts about my lab into consideration." He had his head bowed in shame as Junkrat barged uninvited into the conversation.

"Ey! Monkey! Ya can't just drag her into the crime scene. Have some elegance. Fist ya gotta invite her out for dinner and then.." The rambling dragged out as Rickie quietly left the room.

They stood in a hallway. One way was blocked by Junkrat trying to get on the monkeys nerves, the other was the girl. Easy choice. He just hoped that Jamison wouldn't get them fired.

 

 

Rickie was sitting on the top of a wide staircase. He decided to sit beside her until Rat would eventually join them. She gave him a polite smile before going back to stare into space. He grunted back. They just sat there for several minutes. Time dragged on in what seemed like forever and at the same time, no time at all. It wasn't awkward, but there was definitely a thick atmosphere from the silence. She couldn't talk and Roadhog was not a man who started small talk. He usually let others do the talking while he would give simple answers or something along those lines.

 

Eventually she looked back at him. Opening her mouth as to say something before sighing. Leaning forward while resting her elbow on a knee, cheek in hand.

She just looked so defeated. Roadhog didn't even realize his hand had reached out to her before he felt soft hair under his fingers.

 

"Just get the damn operation" He said warmly, standing up after ruffling her hair.

He left a bewildered Rickie by the stairs, meeting Junkrat in the hallway.

"Hey Roadie, wanna join me and Rick'? I wanna show her bobba tea."

Feeling too awkward to share a room with the woman again, he refused. Covering his mask with his hand in embarrassment as he strolled down the corridor by himself. Picking up a scent from his hand,  he felt the blood rise to his cheeks.

 

She smelled like honey and burned wood.


End file.
